And yes, I believe our Republic and liberty is in danger. Not in a "doomsday tomorrow! run for your lives!" sort of way. The danger lies, rather, in giving up our birthright for a pot of stew and some bread.

Friday, November 18, 2005

Here's a follow-up to my post yesterday about the blatant hypocrisy and partisan censorship at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. I received a response (form letter that is) from Cynthia Tucker, the Editorial Page Editor. The letter is their official response to the situation. Let's take a look at it piece by piece, shall we?

Thank you for your comments to the AJC. Below please find a statement released today by Cynthia Tucker regarding the Equal Time column.

The governor's office today accused the opinion pages of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution of hypocrisy and censorship because a paragraph was edited out of op-ed piece we published today.

What she is calling "a paragraph" was actually the heart of the Governor's response to their criticism. The AJC blasted the Governor for offering tax incentives and other perks to AFLAC in order to get the company to expand their operations in Columbus, GA. The AJC calls that "corporate welfare" and says it is a bad use of taxpayer dollars. The Governor countered that claim and also pointed out that the parent company of the AJC - Cox Enterprises - has itself benefited from so-called "corporate welfare," noting that "[w]hen Cox Communications, parent company of the AJC, returns the $6.7 million in Fulton County property tax incentives it received to locate its headquarters in the county, then it will have the credibility to make such judgments." Ouch; that must have stung. No wonder they wanted that sentence taken out.

I take these allegations very seriously and want our readers to know what we did and why we did it. I don't feel we were hypocrites or censors. Here's what happened:

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's acting op-ed editor contacted the office of Gov. Sonny Perdue around noon on Wednesday, requesting a response to an editorial the newspaper planned to run on Thursday. (The editorial criticized state and private incentives offered to encourage insurer AFLAC to expand in Columbus.) The response, penned by press secretary Dan McLagan, didn’t arrive until 7 p.m., well after the normal deadlines for the opinion pages.

So, how long do you think the AJC has been planning on running this editorial? I feel certain they didn't just throw it together on Wednesday. Let's just assume that they didn't start working on it until Monday. That would have been two days they could have given the Governor for a response - even one day would have been better than mere hours. Instead they sprung it on him at noon the day before the editorial was to be published. Yet they snarl and complain about the Governor missing a publishing deadline. Hmmm, do you get the funny feeling that they were hoping the Governor would miss the deadline? You can just smell their arrogance can't you? In fact, the stench becomes overwhelming in the next paragraph.

That gave us no time to check the accuracy of statements McLagan made about tax incentives received by Cox Enterprises. Since previous assertions McLagan has made on the subject were inaccurate, we were concerned about his most recent statements.

In the previous case, he accused us of hypocrisy because we were arguing for open government while the Cox Enterprises deal was handled in secret. Faced with the facts, he removed that press release from the governor's website.

Good God, what nerve. If they were so concerned about accuracy, why not call the Governor's office and say they need time to check the facts. Then hold both pieces for a day until they felt comfortable with the facts. Isn't that what they would have done if they were really interested in fairness and accuracy?

In the latest essay, McLagan said: "When Cox Communications, parent company of the AJC, returns the $6.7 million in Fulton County property tax incentives it received to locate its headquarters in the county, then it will have the credibility to make such judgments." I instructed the op-ed editor to delete that sentence, concerned about the accuracy and believing the omission did not affect the overall point he was making in the op-ed piece.

Today, a Cox Enterprises official has said that McLagan's estimate was incorrect. (The AJC's parent company is Cox Enterprises Cox Communications.) Cox received $3.4 million in property tax incentives over a ten-year period from Fulton County, according to Bob Jimenez, vice-president for corporate communications and public relations.

She couldn't really be that dense, but she could definitely be that much of partisan. It doesn't matter if it was $6.7 million, $3.4 million, or a buck fifty! Cox Enterprises took the same sort of incentives that you lambasted the Governor for giving to AFLAC. The part that gets me in these two paragraphs though is where she says she didn't think removing the sentence in question would "...affect the overall point he was making in the op-ed piece." Jesus H. Jones! It didn't just affect his point, it was his point!

"Cox did not seek or receive any financial incentive that was unavailable to any other similarly situated corporation who requested them from the Development Authority of Fulton County (DAFC). Many other companies in Fulton County, both large and small, have, in fact, received the same types of benefits. Throughout this process, the AJC wrote about the development and it was debated in public forums and neighborhood organizations," Jimenez said.

The policy of the opinion staff is to verify the accuracy of all information that appears on our pages, whether in nationally syndicated columns, letters to the editor or essays from the governor's office.

So apparently it's okay when her bosses do it, but not okay when a Republican governor does it. She has so many double standards I bet she can't walk down a hallway without hitting a wall. Suddenly they're concerned about accuracy. Unfortunately they didn't take any steps to verify anything other than calling their bosses. Gee, I'm sure that's a fair and balanced source. Why not do what the Governor did, go to the tax records. Oh wait; they may not have given them the answer they wanted. Sorry, I thought for a moment they were really interested in the truth.

By the way, as editorial page editor, I am not privy to the corporate economic decisions made by Cox Enterprises. They hired us to be independent thinkers, making the recommendations we believe are best for Georgia. That's what we try to do every day. Tell the truth. Give our opinion and let the people decide.

Cynthia Tucker

By the waaay...byyyy the waaaaayyyy....BYYYY THE WAAAAAYYYYY, you little peons who dare to question me, just shut up and take what I tell you as gospel or I'll get you and your little dog too! Well they certainly have the "give our opinion" part down-pat. Cynthia, here's some advice: try a little less snark and partisan politics and a bit more objectivity and you won't have to listen to the "little peons excoriate you.

Would you like to contact Cynthia Tucker to let her know what you think? You can reach her here:

Nobody panics when things go "according to plan." Even if the plan is horrifying! ~ The Joker

Conservative Values

American Exceptionalism: The United States is an exceptional nation. No other country in the history of the world has done more to secure liberty and honor God-given rights of individuals. Our government is uniquely of, by, and for the people, not the other way around.

We Are One People: All of America's citizens can enjoy the rights and freedoms of our country without diminishing the rights of others. There can be honest differences of opinion and such differences result in opponents, not enemies.

Limited Government and Personal Freedom: Thomas Jefferson was correct when he wrote: "That government is best which governs least." Public servants must be held accountable to the highest standards of ethical conduct. Government should be limited to the powers delegated it by the Constitution. Beyond these powers, as government grows, individual freedom shrinks and the economy suffers. High taxes, runaway government spending, and over-regulation of business and farming punish initiative and stifle economic growth. Your property is yours and you have the basic right to make use of it without unreasonable government restrictions.

Reassertion of 10th Amendment Sovereignty: The 10th amendment to the United States constitution guarantees to the states and their people all powers not otherwise enumerated and granted to the federal government by the Constitution of the United States. The United States constitution defines the total scope of federal power as being that specifically granted by the United States constitution and no more. The Federal government was created by the states and their people specifically to be an agent of the states and their people. The federal government, as our agent, should be discouraged from imposing certain restrictive mandates or exercising powers that are beyond the scope of those constitutionally delegated.

Family is the Foundation of the Republic: Family and the values it fosters are the foundation of American society and their preservation is essential to our Nation's continued success.

The Supreme Court: The purpose of the Supreme Court is to determine whether laws are in keeping with the Constitutionally limited powers delegated the government. The Supreme Court is not to rule based on any other standard than that of a strict interpretation of the United States Constitution.

Individual Rights: The United States were founded on the fundamental principle that individuals have certain rights and freedoms which cannot be infringed upon and may be restricted only to the degree necessary to preserve the rights of others. The subjugation of individual rights in favor of groups rights is unconstitutional and has always lead to the trampling of individual freedom.

Individual Responsibility: Individuals are responsible for their actions and the consequences. It is not government's place to save individuals from their mistakes. This kind of government intervention only encourages irresponsible behavior and impinges on others' rights. With freedom comes responsibility and that individuals must take personal responsibility for their own actions and our criminal justice system must be based on this idea.

Religious Freedom: Americans should be free to practice religion how they please. Christianity has been a positive force in our society. Government should not overreach its powers to discriminate against any religious group. Government has no right to suppress prayers nor expressions of faith in public schools.

Respect for Life: Life is sacred and is to be defended. This includes the most vulnerable among us, the unborn. Ronald Reagan was correct when he wrote: "Make no mistake, abortion-on-demand is not a right granted by the Constitution. We cannot diminish the value of one category of human life -- the unborn -- without diminishing the value of all human life."

Right to Bear Arms: The right to own a gun is recognized specifically in the Constitution, yet it is constantly under attack legislatively and legally. The right to own firearms is important to the safety and security of individuals and a nation.

Strong Military and National Defense: A strong military is a necessary deterrent in dangerous world. The U.S. must maintain military superiority to ensure our security. The American military is made up of dedicated and patriotic individuals who deserve this nation's full support. The preservation of our rights and freedoms necessitates a strong national defense and the ability of the United States to negotiate with other nations from a position of strength.

Secure Borders: Legal immigrants have enriched this country. Illegal immigration undermines American sovereignty and weakens national security. The U.S. has a right and obligation to secure it's borders.

Energy Independence: For national security and economic reasons it is time that we as a nation become energy independent by exploiting all our natural resources responsibly while at the same time encouraging energy innovation.

Educational Choice: Parents have the right to determine the values with which their children will be raised and to have the widest possible choice among public, private and religious schools and that competition will improve public education.

Low Taxes, Free Markets, and Fiscal Constraint: The the money you earn is yours and government in a free society should be given only as much as is needed to perform those limited duties which are delegated to it. Government redistribution of income through taxation is not Constitutional. Individuals have a right to their income and are far better managers of their money than is the government. The free enterprise system is the most effective engine of economic progress and free market solutions improve the economy while upholding individual freedoms.

Keep The Faith

This is the lesson: never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy. ~ Winston Churchill

Only in the Western world can a gay man live a free life as himself. Hence, the health and strength of the West is fundamental to my survival. ~ USMale

When my country, into which I had just set my foot, was set on fire about my ears, it was time to stir. It was time for every man to stir. ~ Thomas Paine

It does not take a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men. ~ Samuel Adams

There are two sides to every issue: one side is right and the other is wrong, but the middle is always evil. ~ Ayn Rand

The American's Creed

I believe in the United States of America as a government of the people, by the people, for the people; whose just powers are derived from the consent of the governed, a democracy in a republic, a sovereign Nation of many sovereign States; a perfect union, one and inseparable; established upon those principles of freedom, equality, justice, and humanity for which American patriots sacrificed their lives and fortunes.

I therefore believe it is my duty to my country to love it, to support its Constitution, to obey its laws, to respect its flag, and to defend it against all enemies.

~ by William Tyler Page

Quotes I Like

A common mistake people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools. ~ Douglas Adams

Leftists see everything in terms of black and white - if it has to do with race. When it's good and evil, then everything in their view turns gray.

The Allies tried the Nazi doctors as war criminals for crimes against humanity for their concentration camp "experiments". Obama and Eric Holder would simply take them to court for malpractice. ~ KevinQC

The liberal paradigm of regulation and license has led to a society where an 18-year-old girl has the right to public fornication in a pornographic movie – but only if she is paid the minimum wage. ~ Irving Kristol

I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it. ~ Mark Twain

I can say — not as a patriotic bromide, but with the full knowledge of the necessary metaphysical, epistemological, ethical, political and esthetic roots — that the United States of America are the greatest, the noblest and, in their original founding principles, the only moral country in the history of the world. ~ Ayn Rand

I care not much for a man's religion whose dog and cat are not the better for it. ~ Abraham Lincoln

The problem with being “socially liberal, fiscally conservative” is that most of the social liberalism comes with quite a price tag... ~ Mark Steyn

Some people are best loved at a distance. ~ Unknown

Joan: I wish it didn't hurt so much.God: It hurts because you feel it, Joan, because you're alive. You love people. That generates a lot of power, a lot of energy, same kind of energy that binds atoms together. And we've all seen what happens when you try to pry them apart.Joan: So if I don't get attached to people, then it won't hurt so much?God: No, it's in your nature to get attached to people. I put that in the recipe. It's when you guys try to ignore that, when you try to go it alone, that's when it gets ugly. Its hell. ~ from Joan of Arcadia

Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy. ~ Winston Churchill

Imagine a Labour canvasser talking on the doorstep to those East German families when they settle in on freedom’s side of the wall. “You want to keep more of the money you earn? I’m afraid that’s very selfish. We shall want to tax that away. You want to own shares in your firm? We can’t have that. The state has to own your firm. You want to choose where to send your children to school? That’s very divisive. You’ll send your child where we tell you.” ~ Margaret Thatcher

I always keep a supply of stimulant handy in case I see a snake, which I also keep handy. ~ W. C. Fields

I am extraordinarily patient, provided I get my own way in the end. ~ Margaret Thatcher

By nature all men are equal in liberty, but not in other endowments. ~ Thomas Aquinas

Some see private enterprise as a predatory target to be shot, others as a cow to be milked, but few are those who see it as a sturdy horse pulling the wagon. ~ Winston Churchill

A terrorist is an opportunistic warrior. If he can kill the president, he will. But if he can't, he'll kill you. Imagine that. ~ Mark Steyn

Being in politics is like being a football coach. You have to be smart enough to understand the game, and dumb enough to think it’s important. ~ Eugene McCarthy

The greatest dangers to liberty lurk in insidious encroachment by men of zeal, well-meaning but without understanding. ~ Justice Louis Brandeis

Dissent is patriotic only if the dissenter is a patriot. Otherwise it's plain old treason. ~ The People's Cube

Nobody has to, I repeat, live in France. But when you live in France, you respect its rules. That is to say that you are not a polygamist. ... One doesn't practice female genital mutilation on one's daughters, one doesn't slit the throat of the sheep, and one respects the republican rules. ~ Nicolas Sarkozy

Never be separated from the Americans. ~ Winston Churchill

Our [Conservative] gays are more macho than their [Liberal] straights. ~ Ann Coulter

It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace — but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death! ~ Patrick Henry

The only colors that matter are red, white, and blue. ~ Bobby Jindal

If Iraq is another Vietnam, 9/11 is another Kennedy assassination. Were Bali, Madrid and London also inside jobs by the Bush Gang? If so, it's no wonder federal spending's out of control. ~ Mark Steyn

No people in history have ever survived, who thought they could protect their freedom by making themselves inoffensive to their enemies. ~ Dean Acheson

If I didn't, I should have. ~ William F. Buckley (when asked if he referred to Jesse Jackson as an ignoramus)

Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost. ~ John Quincy Adams

In my opinion, powder and artillery are the most efficacious, sure, and infallible conciliatory measures we can adopt. ~ John Adams

The winner of the Democratic primary is always the candidate who does the best impersonation of an American. ~ Ann Coulter

The urge to save humanity is almost always a false face for the urge to rule it. ~ H. L. Mencken

Thinking about what you can't control only wastes energy, and creates its own enemy. ~ Worf (Star Trek - The Next Generation)

But we should at least stop fooling ourselves. Jihadists are not going to be wished away, rule-of-lawed into submission, or democratized out of existence. If you really want democracy and the rule of law in places like Pakistan, you need to kill the jihadists first. Or they’ll kill you, just like, today, they killed Benazir Bhutto. ~ Andrew C. McCarthy

Satan laughs at our toiling, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray. ~ The Kneeling Christian

To regret religion is to regret Western civilization. ~ Theodore Dalrymple

Conservative speakers are constantly being physically attacked on college campuses -- including Bill Kristol, Pat Buchanan, David Horowitz and me, among others. Fortunately the attackers are Democrats, so they throw like girls and generally end up with their noses bloodied by pretty college coeds. But that doesn't make it right. ~ Ann Coulter

Don't tase me bro! ~ Andrew Meyer

There is sobbing of the strong,And a pall upon the land,

But the People in their weeping,Bare the iron hand,

Beware the People weeping,When they bare the iron hand. ~ Herman Melville

Gay diversity is like the Village People. You can all wear different stupid outfits as long as you sing the same stupid song. ~ Jack Donovan

The dark night of fascism is always descending in the United States and yet lands only in Europe. ~ Tom Wolfe

Usually the nonsense liberals spout is kind of cute, but in wartime their instinctive idiocy is life-threatening. ~ Ann Coulter

These days, the Left advances its causes more effectively through the courts than through elections, for the fairly obvious reason that very few people are dumb enough to vote for this stuff. ~ Mark Steyn

For the gay establishment, the death of right and wrong began when gaining civil rights ceased to be enough. ~ Tammy Bruce

Firearms are second only to the Constitution in importance; they are the peoples' liberty's teeth. ~ George Washington (attributed)

A free people ought not only to be armed, but disciplined; to which end a uniform and well-digested plan is requisite; and their safety and interest require that they should promote such manufactories as tend to render them independent of others for essential, particularly military, supplies. ~ George Washington (First State of the Union Address)

Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one. ~ Thomas Paine

We don't thrive on military acts. We do them because we have to, and thank God we are efficient. ~ Golda Meir

Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we will pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of Liberty. ~ John F. Kennedy

We've finally given liberals a war against fundamentalism, and they don't want to fight it. They would, except it would put them on the same side as the United States. ~ Ann Coulter

War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself. ~ John Stuart Mill

I think a baseball bat is the most effective way these days (to talk to liberals). ~ Ann Coulter

Americans have the right and advantage of being armed - unlike the citizens of other countries whose governments are afraid to trust the people with arms. ~ James Madison

Fear not your enemies for they can only kill youFear not your friends for they can only betray youFear only the indifferent who permit the killers and betrayers to walk safely on earth. ~ Edmund Yashinski

We are a nation that has a government — not the other way around. And this makes us special among the nations of the Earth. Our government has no power except that granted it by the people. It is time to check and reverse the growth of government which shows signs of having grown beyond the consent of the governed. ~ Ronald Reagan

How much longer should we allow people from certain lands, with certain beliefs to come to Britain and America and build their mosques, teach hate, and plot to kill us? Okay, let’s have the required disclaimer: Not all Muslims from the Middle East and southeast Asia want to kill us, but those who do blend in with those who don’t. Would anyone tolerate a slow spreading cancer because it wasn’t fast spreading? Probably not. You’d want it removed. ~ Cal Thomas

I am convinced, if I kill every reporter, that there'll be news from Hell before breakfast. ~ General William Tecumseh Sherman

Don't hit at all if it is honorably possible to avoid hitting; but never hit softly. ~ Theodore Roosevelt

Remember, remember - and realise that America has never retaliated for 9/11 in anything like the way it could have. ~ Tony Parsons, British Journalist

...the aim of a large swathe of the left is not to win the debate but to get it cancelled before it starts. ~ Mark Steyn

I do not look upon these United States as a finished product. We are still in the making. ~ Franklin D. Roosevelt

To liberals, building a wall across the Mexican border is a violation of the Voting Rights Act. ~ Ann Coulter

Two years after 'the day America changed forever,' the culture is in thrall to the same dopey self-delusion it held on Sept. 10, 2001: There are no enemies, just friends we haven't yet apologized to. ~ Mark Steyn

...the natural state of the world is Darfur. The freakish aberration is America and the rest of the Anglo-Saxon world. ~ Ann Coulter

And yes, I believe our Republic and liberty is in danger. Not in a "doomsday tomorrow! run for your lives!" sort of way. The danger lies, rather, in giving up our birthright for a pot of stew and some bread. ~ KevinQC

Remember, the government apparatchiks have to go through the rest of the house to get to your bedroom. It's best to stop them at the bottom of the driveway. ~ KevinQC

25 Things About Me

2) I'm shy. Really, I am. And the peanut gallery can just shut up... But seriously - this tendency makes me seem snobbish at times even though I'm not.

3) I don't consider third world countries to be "vacation" destinations.

4) I can't drive a stick shift.

5) I'm a Republican.

6) I love algebra but hate geometry.

7) My mother died when I was 3.

8) I still use the words "whom" and "whomever" when speaking and writing, and I get aggravated when others do not.

9) In fourth grade I was nominated to represent my class on the student council but I was so shy and insecure I wouldn't do it. I still regret that decision.

10) I hate snakes, but once - while holding one - I threatened to throw it at someone.

11) There are a few friends I have not seen in years that if we met today we could pick up in mid conversation as if no time has passed.

12) I never really knew my father. He reached out to me shortly before he died but I chose to ignore him. I don't regret that.

13) There have been two people in my life that I have truly been in love with.

14) I've owned six dogs over the years - 1. A pekingese named Tuffy, 2. A lab mix named Buster, 3. A chow named Chanté, 4. A mutt named Kroger, 5. A chow/shepherd mix named Virginia, and currently 6. A mix of canine and God knows what else named Matilda.

15) In Mrs. Leighton's third grade class, Desi G. used to always borrow my new crayons and without fail break at least one.

18) I always remember my dreams after I wake up, and they're always in full color.

19) I'm clumsy. (That's also a big factor in #17)

20) I was never a Dallas or Dynasty person. I was all Falcon Crest, baby!

21) My favorite color is green.

22) I worked in the hotel and tradeshow biz for eight years and as a result I've seen Las Vegas more than any person should. As a side note, you might think the gay bars there would be hoppin' - but in reality they are bleak and sad.

23) My favorite season is autumn. Second favorite is winter. Spring is okay. Summer sucks.

24) I love vodka. Passionately.

25) I will not swim in anything other than a crystal clear swimming pool. The ocean has sharks and ponds and rivers have snakes and alligators. I regard swimming in them as akin to walking unarmed across the Serengeti. (As for the Serengeti, see #3)

-Obligatory 26th Thing-

26) The first person I came out to in College ended up being totally unable to deal with it and our friendship ended. I still miss him.

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